Hong Kong Life Hacks

We’re sick and tired of reading endless Buzzfeed posts about ingenious alternate uses for empty shampoo bottles, so we came up with our own Hong Kong life hacks—also known as “tips” to the pre-internet generation—for you lucky readers. Read on, and happy hacking!
 

01: Food and Drink

These nuggets of wisdom will leave you the envy of your foodie friends.

Chopstick Fix If you always break the delicate skin of your xiaolongbao dumplings when you pick them up, dip the ends of your chopsticks in vinegar first. We first saw a waitress in a Shanghainese restaurant do it, and it changed our lives forever.

Ice to Meet You You’re at a house party but due to a stupid oversight, all you’ve got is warm beer and a bag of ice. Throw the ice and some water into a bucket, add a handful of salt, throw in the beer, and stir. You’ll have an ice-cold brew in about three minutes. The science here is that salt lowers the freezing temperature of the water. The ice cubes melt faster, and your beer gets colder, quicker.

Let’s Spoon A Chinese porcelain spoon is perfectly weighted so it can also serve as a sauce caddy.

Saline Solution If you’re sick of your salt getting damp in Hong Kong’s sweltering humidity, add a teaspoon of rice into the salt cellar to absorb moisture.

You’ll Brine ‘Er Pineapple too acidic? Here’s a Chinese cuisine trick: brine it in salty water for half an hour to take the sharpness out of it.

Dope Dip So you’re having the most middle-class dinner party ever. You want to make hummus, but you can’t find tahini anywhere! Chinese sesame paste is cheap, works almost as well and can be found in the condiments aisle of any supermarket.